Product Description

Elizabeth must realize her worth doesn't lie in her inheritance. In order to avoid a forced marriage to a dangerous man, Elizabeth Trelawney flees London. An unexpected stranger arrives to help her, and as they elude her pursuers across Cornwall in the night, Elizabeth realizes her rescuer, Rouan Curnow, is familiar. Their differences in social status kept Rouan from pursuing a courtship with the lady his heart wouldn't let him forget. Now because of dangerous smugglers and local murders, the two are plunged into a reckless alliance that rattles Rouan's fledgling faith in God. The closer they get to Bastian Point---Elizabeth's true home---the more she realizes it is the only place she longs to be.

Publisher's Description

On the cliffs of 19th-century Cornwall, a spirited, impetuous young woman is torn between the honor of her family and the longing of her heart.

England, 1811

A tarnished reputation. A distant home. A forced engagement to a dangerous man. When Elizabeth Trelawny flees London, she has more than one reason to run. And when her carriage, pursued by her would-be fiancé, is caught in a storm, she quickly accepts the help of a dark stranger. Anything to get back to Cornwall.

But Rowan Curnow is not exactly a stranger. Hes not quite a gentleman either. Class disparity once kept him from courting Elizabeth . . . even if it didnt keep him from kissing her.

The couple elude their pursuers and reach Bastion Point, Elizabeths future inheritance and the one place she calls home. But in the very act of spiriting her to safety, Rowan has jeopardized Elizabeths inheritanceif her grandfather ever learns she spent the night, however innocently, in the company of a man.

When smugglers unite the pair in a reckless, flirtatious alliancean alliance that both challenges the social norms Elizabeth has been raised to revere and rattles Rowans fledgling faith in God. Elizabeth must choose between the obedience of a child and the desires of a woman: cling to the safety of her home or follow the man she loves.

Author Bio

Since she lay in bed as a child telling herself stories, bestselling, award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes has fulfilled her dream of becoming a published author, with a degree in English and French from Asbury University and a masters degree in writing fiction from Seton Hill University. She now has nearly two dozen books in print. Laurie Alice lives with her husband in Houston, Texas, with sundry lovable dogs and cats.

On the cliffs of 19th-century Cornwall, a spirited, impetuous young woman is torn between the honor of her family and the longing of her heart.

My Review:

~* wayfarers ~ just passing through *~

The speed of the horses in the dark of night did not shelter them from the torrent of the blowing rain soaking in and splattering against them. There would be safety ahead, with a far distance from the hoofbeats and rumble of carriage wheels of the repulsive Romsford and his men. Elizabeth Trelawny, or "Elys," as her "brother Drake's voice" calmed her, rode alongside unhampered.

If only her family allowed her to do anything for herself, she might know how to make wiser choices.

--A Lady's Honor, 16

I really like Elizabeth already... I like adventure and fun! Quickly scrambling behind a stack of barrels, sending vermin scurrying, clinging spiderwebs, and odors of spirits; I am hoping she doesn't sneeze. In the darkness of the inn, with flour dust flying, an escape is made out the back door and she is moving swiftly on horseback through the night; not alone, but accompanied by a man who first set eyes upon her ~ are you ready for this! ~ at the LIBRARY. Now then, wouldn't you say he has undeterminable value!

Everything is not as it seems; friend or foe? Heart's deceit or longing?

If you are ready for adventure and wondering who is the culprit, you will love this story along the Cornish coast path and caves at tide time.

What a delightful story ~ here is a snippet of beautiful writings

"Treasures in life that are worth more than dowries and property and the amount of money deposited in The Funds." He squeezed her hand. "Perhaps you should read those journals. In reading about their lives, perhaps you can work out what was missing. I think you already knew at one time in your life. But no time for reading now. Your grandmama wishes for you to join her in the garden parlor."

--Ibid., 144

May she realize The~Absolute~Treasure

She slipped through a side door and into the garden. The fog lay so thickly over the ground she doubted anyone could see her from the house. Water dripped from tree branches and trellises in a rhythmic plop, plop, plop. Her kid slippers made no sound on the gravel path. When she opened the garden door to the cliff, even the sea sounded distant, its roar muted beneath the blanket of water. But she tasted salt spray on her lips and the tang of the water in her nostrils. The cold dampness awakened something deep inside her, a stirring need to run and shout and dive into the flattened waves.

--Ibid., 155-156

I am eager to read the following book, A Stranger's Secret, as A Cliffs of Cornwall Novel continues...

***Thank you to author Laurie Alice Eakes for sending me a copy of her Cliffs of Cornwall novel, A Lady's Honor, to read and review. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Laurie Alice Eakes in her new book, A Ladys Honor Book One in the Cliffs Of Cornwall series published by Zondervan brings us into the life of Elizabeth Trelawny.

From the back cover: On the cliffs of 19th-century Cornwall, a spirited, impetuous young woman is torn between the honor of her family and the longing of her heart.

England, 1811

A tarnished reputation. A distant home. A forced engagement to a dangerous man. When Elizabeth Trelawny flees London, she has more than one reason to run. And when her carriage, pursued by her would-be fianc, is caught in a storm, she quickly accepts the help of a dark stranger. Anything to get back to Cornwall.

But Rowan Curnow is not exactly a stranger. Hes not quite a gentleman either. Class disparity once kept him from courting Elizabeth . . . even if it didnt keep him from kissing her.

The couple elude their pursuers and reach Bastion Point, Elizabeths future inheritance and the one place she calls home. But in the very act of spiriting her to safety, Rowan has jeopardized Elizabeths inheritanceif her grandfather ever learns she spent the night, however innocently, in the company of a man.

When smugglers unite the pair in a reckless, flirtatious alliancean alliance that both challenges the social norms Elizabeth has been raised to revere and rattles Rowans fledgling faith in God. Elizabeth must choose between the obedience of a child and the desires of a woman: cling to the safety of her home or follow the man she loves.

What are you going to do when you are in London and being set up for an arranged marriage to a much older man? You take off and run for your family home in Cornwall. However when all does not go according to plan Elizabeth meets up with Rowan who helps her but also may have caused her to lose her inheritance. A Ladys Honor is a wonderful romance filled with mystery, intrigue, and scandal. These pages are filled with wonderful characters that live and breathe. A Ladys Honor is full of reputation, finding yourself, finding your place in the world and romance. This is an interesting story filled with lots of excitement and romance as well as history. I liked it a lot.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Like Laurie Alice Eakes Midwives Trilogy which I read recently, my opinions of her latest novel were rather mixed. On the one hand it did have a sound Christian and important message about not putting ones trust in earthy treasures, and some wonderful descriptive passages-especially of the Cornish landscape by an author whom I do not think has ever been there. The story did seem was weak in places but appeared to improve towards the end.

On the other hand it was blighted by the two things I dislike most in historical fiction. Judging the past by modern standards or imposing them upon it, and anachronistic or otherwise out-of place language. The British characters used a number of Americanisms in their speech on a fairly frequent basis like someplace instead of 'somewhere'.

In the case of the former the novel seemed to be imbued with a prejudice against the aristocracy, their culture, attitudes, values and way of life. It may be that as a Brit I have a different outlook on these things, and I know the central theme of the story was looking for heavenly treasures instead of earthly- but I dont believe there is anything intrinsically wrong with being born to wealth and privilege, owning land or having servants in and of itself. Also, the arranged/forced marriage scenario is the one of the oldest cliches in the book- and perhaps was not very plausible considering how forced marriage has technically been illegal in England since the 11th century.

Then there was the heroine Elizabeth or Elys. I never really warmed to her probably because she came across a selfish, shallow, spoiled brat. I think this was how the author intended for her to be portrayed, and she acknowledged this fault in the end- but not for the reasons I found it most annoying.

Basically, she hated the lifestyle her class and upbringing expected her to lead, and shunned social expectations because she couldnt do what she wanted, like go horse-riding or swimming on her own and was expected to do things she found boring or tedious instead such as sewing or attending parties.

Most women in her position would have been happy with the provision her grandparents were willing to make for her, giving them financial security for life. Yet even this was not good enough for Elizabeth.

Then there was Rowan: godly, heroic, and handsome, yet perhaps something of a cliche- and apparently possessed of the notion that anything which did not line up with his proletarian ideology was unchristian and oppressive. He was probably the source of some of the prejudices about the upper classes- lazy because they did no manual work, uncaring because they only cared appearances and reputation ... and apparently regarding people in domestic service as little better than slaves.

Altogether, the hint of mystery was interesting and the novel a decent as a one-time read, good to maybe pass onto friends or relatives, but I certainly won't be eagerly anticipating the next book in the series. Too much kissing, or thinking about kissing for me, and I prefer my historical fiction more accurate and less judgemental for no other reason than that it does not fit in with modern ideals.

I received a free copy of this book free from BookLook bloggers for review, I was not required to write a positive one and all opinions expressed herein are my own

Initially, I found A Lady's Honor a little difficult to get into. For me, I felt like too many characters with too many twisty plot details were introduced in quick succession. However, once I started piecing together who everyone was (does anyone else get confused by the way people during this time period were often referred to by multiple names?!) and what was going on, I quickly got caught up in the story and was turning pages as fast as humanly possible.

It's not often that I've read a true suspense novel set during a historical period, but Eakes does a great job combining suspense, history, and romance to create an intriguing novel. I enjoyed reading this book from the perspective of Elizabeth, who is bold and courageousdefinitely living outside the expectations for women during her time. I'm looking forward to see how this series will continue. [4 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Gothic meets Regency and sends me into a frenzied reader's tailspin. Eakes is one of my favourite authors. She knows how to take her readers on an exquisitely tense journey. I lost myself in the pages of A Lady's Honor. Thank goodness I was on holidays and could read straight through because, believe me, there's no good place to leave off until the very end and even then I was put out because it was over. :-)

Hello -- Cornwall in 1811. Cliffs. Moors. Smugglers. Villainous cads. Dashing heroes. And a heroine struggling to find a balance between following duty and spreading her wings. A tight plot propels Elizabeth into one harrowing ordeal after another and Rowan is swept right along with her. He's made a pledge to keep her safe. She wants nothing to do with him...most of the time. He's rude. Arrogant. Totally unsuitable. Even if he's handsome and charming and tender at all the wrong times. Be still my heart. There's nothing left to say except -- awesome!